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$$ | Covent Garden |
Bright and casual by day, intimate and atmospheric by night, this is a great spot for refueling mid–shopping trip, grabbing a bite before a show (think filling dishes like pork and clam stew or salted cod, plus charcuterie and sandwiches), or lingering over a glass of reasonably priced Portuguese wine.
33 Earlham St., London, Greater London, WC2H 9LS, England
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$$ | King's Cross |
Set in a corner of what was once a vast Victorian warehouse, this airy eatery is open from early morning to late at night, serving great food and freshly roasted coffee (you’ll pass by the giant coffee roaster en route to the bathroom). The focus is on world cuisine (the jalapeño cornbread is a perennial favorite), and the all-day menu features shared plates as well as sourdough pizzas. There are excellent cocktails, too.
1 Granary Sq., London, Greater London, N1C 4AA, England
Known For
- Delicious selection of tapas-style plates
- Informal, buzzy vibe
- Great cocktails
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$$ | St. James's |
Tucked away down a pedestrianized back street, this casual French bistro is a favorite haunt for politicians based in and around the nearby Palace of Westminster. Open all day, one can only imagine the political intrigues being discussed over Gallic classics such as coq au vin or snails in garlic butter, all washed down with wines from the surprisingly extensive list.
22 Palmer St., London, Greater London, SW1H 0PH, England
Known For
- Large outdoor terrace
- Wine available by the carafe
- Good value for this touristy area
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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$$ | Bayswater |
A Bayswater favorite with the well-connected Notting Hill set, Hereford Road is renowned for its pared-down, pomp-free, and ingredient-driven seasonal British fare, with an emphasis on well-sourced regional British produce. Work your way through uncluttered combos like smoked mackerel, potato, and horseradish; braised ox cheek and carrots; or buttermilk pudding with blueberries. Their set lunches on Fridays and Saturdays are arguably the best lunch deals in town.
3 Hereford Rd., London, Greater London, W2 4AB, England
Known For
- Pared-back Modern British nose-to-tail dining
- Deceptively simple-sounding dishes like salt beef and mash
- Famously affordable two- and three-course set lunches
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon., Reservations essential
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$$ | Primrose Hill |
This consistently popular, family-run, taverna-style restaurant has been serving local families and celebrities alike in its large, vine-decked premises for more than 40 years. Besides a large selection of Greek Cypriot small-dish meze dips, hot breads, and starters, there are rustic mains like moussaka or slow-baked kleftiko lamb in lemon as well as assorted grilled fish. Expect friendly Greek service and hospitality, plus an airy atrium in the back. Generous meze spreads for two or more people are £35, and bargain weekday set lunches are £17.50.
89 Regent's Park Rd., London, Greater London, NW1 8UY, England
Known For
- Greek taverna-style atmosphere
- Meze, moussaka, and grilled sea bass
- Great weekday set lunches
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun., Reservations essential
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$ | Knightsbridge |
London's sizable, well-heeled Russian community flocks to this maximalist evocation of a pre-Revolution babushka's living room, overflowing with vintage chandeliers, porcelain figurines, tapestries, and nested Russian dolls. The menu leans toward traditional old-country comfort food like Siberian pelmeni (dumplings) filled with pork and beef, pierogi, smoked salmon blinis, creamy beef Stroganoff with wild mushrooms, and, of course, borscht, finished off with a seven-layer honey cake. If you're dozing off from carb overload, a homemade chili-and-horseradish vodka shot will wake you right up. The waitstaff speak Russian and you may get better service if you can do the same.
116 Knightsbridge, London, Greater London, SW1X 7PJ, England
Known For
- Over-the-top nostalgic Russian decor
- Borscht, blinis, and beef Stroganoff
- Flavored vodka shot selection
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$ | Hoxton |
The legend on the front of this Hoxton restaurant reads "Merchants of Good Fortune," which neatly sums up the exceptional, smart-casual dining experience you'll encounter within. Seasonal, veg-focused hits from France, Italy, and Britain emerge from the open-counter kitchen housed in a former Victorian warehouse and onetime apothecary. The rare-pink venison with braised red cabbage, Alsace bacon, and celeriac is sublime, as are other dishes like roast lamb with "forgotten" carrots, quail with foie gras, or wild partridge with sage polenta. Enjoy the vanilla panna cotta with unstoned damsons, and note the £20 two-course set lunch.
38 Charlotte St., London, Greater London, EC2A 3PG, England
Known For
- Eclectic Modern European cuisine
- 1960s-style interior and open kitchen
- Rare-pink venison with Alsace bacon
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun., Reservations essential
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$$ | Soho |
Israeli-born star chef and global cookbook sensation Yotam Ottolenghi cleans up at his flagship vegetable-centric restaurant on the outer edges of Soho. Melding densely flavored small dishes from the Middle East, Asia, and the Mediterranean, diners here can jump around from courgette (zucchini) and manouri cheese fritters to harissa-marinated octopus and Persian love rice to carob and coconut ice cream. Note the more informal downstairs space has two shared communal tables and an open kitchen.
21--22 Warwick St., London, Greater London, W1B 5NE, England
Known For
- Vegetable-focused classics like roast eggplant, pomegranate seeds, and feta yogurt
- Healthy offerings like rainbow trout with koji and sheep's labneh
- Popular shakshuka and scrambled tofu–laden breakfasts
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$ | Kensington |
This lively Israeli-Levantine restaurant offers excellent Middle Eastern tapas (plus influences from Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, and Turkey) at relatively friendly (by Kensington standards) prices and has become a firm neighborhood favorite. Start with fluffy Yemeni challah bread and move onto a grilled eggplant "steak" with black tahini, pine nuts, and pickled tomatoes, a charcoal-grilled mushroom "shawarma" that incorporates a lima bean cream and asparagus (hot dishes are cooked in the open kitchen's wood-fired oven), or a duck breast salad with a pomegranate-and-ginger vinaigrette dressing. A three-course £30 set lunch offers good value. This is the kind of place where you're expected to share plates and eat with your fingers, and if you have something dribbling down your chin, no one will mind.
221 Kensington High St., London, Greater London, W8 6SG, England
Known For
- Delicious and interesting Levantine tapas
- Upbeat atmosphere
- Good-value set lunch
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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$$ | Spitalfields |
This eatery strikes a balance between trendy and traditional with retro-diner style and efficient service. The specialty is fish-and-chips, but if fish isn't your thing, try the free-range grilled chicken.
6–8 Hanbury St., London, Greater London, E1 6QR, England
Known For
- Wine, beer, and cocktails available (uncommon for a chip shop)
- Walls covered with fun mix of maritime and rock and roll paraphernalia
- Wider range of fish than at most traditional fish-and-chip places
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$$ | Soho |
Dine curbside on Soho's busy Dean Street or lean in at the open kitchen counter at this popular elegant but casual tapas joint. Brilliantly cheap and exceptionally tasty Catalan-inspired small plates like spinach croquettas or velvetted hake are complemented by a fine all-Spanish wine list, which focuses on sherry, Cava, and wines from Catalunya.
64 Dean St., London, Greater London, W1D 4QQ, England
Known For
- Seafood and mountain-based Catalan small plates
- Braised oxtail canelones with Nevat goat cheese sauce
- Catalan puddings for dessert
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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$$ | Shoreditch |
You feel like quite the foodie insider once you finally track down the quirky Rochelle Canteen—it's set in a former bike shed at the Victorian-era Rochelle School. Ring the buzzer next to a blue door, go through the "Boys" entrance, and enter the long white canteen, where you'll enjoy gloriously understated British fare ranging from deviled kidneys on toast to Yorkshire ham and parsley sauce. Bump along with the Frieze London art crowd, and enjoy guinea fowl with bacon or skate and capers, and finish with quince jelly or lemon posset.
Arnold Circus, London, Greater London, E2 7ES, England
Known For
- Seasonal, daily-changing menu
- Delightful garden views
- Unpretentious vibe
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$ | Southwark |
Exceptional Brit-focused fish and meat dishes at wallet-friendly prices fly out of the open kitchen at this permanently packed, no-reservations (apart from Sunday lunchtime) gastropub in Southwark. Steamed Icelandic cod fillet with gratin dauphinois and tapenade, roast and confit duck with grilled semolina gnocchi and braised chicory, and a three-cheese and hazelnut soufflé with winter greens and cream punch above their weight in terms of taste and tenderness. Mains are well priced at £18–£25, but keep in mind it's noisy, usually packed, and you may have to wait for (and then share) a table. That said, there are great dishes to share—like the seven-hour lamb shoulder with root vegetables or a cassoulet.
36 The Cut, London, Greater London, SE1 8LP, England
Known For
- Innovative gastropub cuisine
- Buzzy and informal atmosphere
- Large crowds, so prepare to wait and maybe share a table
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon.--Thurs. No dinner Sun., Reservations not accepted
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$$ | Marylebone |
You'll land some of the best fish-and-chips in town at this British chippy in a retro 1914 art deco café. Marylebone locals and satisfied tourists alike hunker down for the neatly prepared and decidedly nongreasy deep-fried or steamed battered cod, haddock, and plaice; the classic hand-cut Maris Piper chips; and the traditional mushy peas and homemade tartar sauce. Homemade cod fishcakes, skate wings, feta cheese fritters, and breaded scampi tails are on the menu, too.
71A--73 Marylebone La., London, Greater London, W1U 2PN, England
Known For
- Some of the city's best deep-fried battered cod and chips
- Hard-to-find traditional mushy peas
- Huge portions
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Reservations not accepted
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$$ | Greenwich |
Right next to the Old Royal Naval College Visitor Centre, The Old Brewery is a great spot for a laid-back summer drink with a view of the river and the grand buildings of the college. The all-day menu is mainly British pub classics, but with a focus on locally sourced ingredients. Inside, there's an artful, high-ceilinged dining room with a more sophisticated feel—its past life as a brewery is evident in the copper brew tanks lining one wall. Brunch is also served.
King William Walk, London, Greater London, SE10 9LW, England
Known For
- Attractive, walled garden
- Terrace with buzzy vibe in good weather
- Nice Sunday brunch
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$$ | Kew |
This most traditional of old English tearooms is named for a kind of cheese tart invented near here in Tudor times. Legend has it that Henry VIII loved them so much he had the recipe kept under armed guard; this place has specialized in the authentic royal recipe for more than 120 years now and still bakes the maids by hand on the premises. Full afternoon tea is served all day. During busy periods, the tearoom may impose a minimum spend per person.
288 Kew Rd., London, Greater London, TW9 3DU, England
Known For
- Traditional baking techniques that date back over centuries
- Excellent full English breakfast
- Nostalgic mock-Tudor decor rebuilt following bomb damage during WWII
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$$ | Greenwich |
Stroll west along the Thames, past the interesting architectural remnants of the Greenwich Steam Ferry, to this bright, friendly, waterside pub. Downstairs, you'll find upmarket pub fare—think fish pie with lobster or artichoke and mushroom hotpot with hispi cabbage—while there's a fancier, fine dining menu upstairs.
7 Victoria Parade, London, Greater London, SE10 9FR, England
Known For
- Terrific Thames views
- Bottomless Sunday brunch
- Heated terrace dining
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$$ | Bloomsbury |
This wine bar and café serves up tasty modern British food within a stone's throw of the British Museum. Weather permitting, sit in its pretty Georgian courtyard.
Off Bury Pl., London, Greater London, WC1A 2JR, England
Known For
- Handsome Georgian courtyard oasis in the heart of the city
- Diverse wine list
- Traditional English favorites such as bangers and mash
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
